Monday, September 18, 2006

"What in the world is this place?" is what you might be asking yourself right now.

Kinda Kitschy is simply a collection, a catalogue, if you will, of all kinds of inane, innocuous, and ineffective merchandise manufactured by some people who probably call themselves Christians. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. That's not what I'm concerned about.

There is a notion that has pervaded the Western world. Like a virus, it spreads from group to group, assimilating everything from food, to fast food, to clothing, to media, in all of its forms. We've gotten caught up in it too, we blood brothers and sisters, and we've made millions. It's called commercialization.

The problem is, we've failed to realize one simple truth:

Merchandising Destroys Meaning

When's the last time you, if you're not a Christian, saw someone wearing a Christian t-shirt and felt compelled to ask them about it? Never?

Why? Because merchandising destroys meaning.

Then again, if you saw that same person buy a meal for someone who couldn't afford it, reach out to a social outcast, or show grace to someone who had slighted them, would you be interested then?

If you are a Christian, think about this: they are making money off of you. I'm sorry, but the simple truth is that to most Christian bookstores, you are simply a customer, potential dollars. In fact, to be honest, a lot of the people who make these things probably aren't Christians at all. In all likelihood, it's just another corporation that saw one more demographic they could exploit, and damn them if they weren't right.

Merchandising destroys meaning. What doesn't? Action. Action establishes meaning. Jesus said "You will know them by their fruit", the things they do, not by their clothes, or their jewelry.

Kinda Kitschy is an attempt to, hopefully, get you to laugh, and help us learn to laugh at ourselves. Maybe it'll help convince some unbelievers that we're not all crazy. But at its deepest, it is an attempt to get Christians to break out of the curse of commercialization. To get out there and do, rather than just being seen.

Who Is This Guy?

Kitsch

A derogatory term used to describe works created specifically in order to pander to public demand. In this case, Christian demand for cutesy knick-knacks and other pseudo-spiritual items. I feel like the word 'kitschy' could describe a lot of the contemporary Christian church. We're converting the world, one t-shirt at a time.